Olympic Games

It doesn't seem possible that it's already four years since the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. But it is less than a century since 16 nations first assembled in Chamonix, France for the first Winter Olympics in 1924. Last night all eyes, and cameras, were on Vancouver as more than 80 countries assembled there for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

A few observations from my Indianapolis hotel vantage point.

1. The Jamaican bobsled team is retired. Jamaica therefore had but one representative for this year's event. The country has much to be proud of, however, with their Summer Olympics phenom, Usain Bolt.

2. The 16-year-old who sang the Canadian National Anthem.... wow! Can Canadians compete on American Idol? Too bad I only get one vote.

3. Albania and Algeria also only had one athlete each.

4. It was interesting to hear some of the stories told as various countries entered the arena. When Mongolia came to the 1964 Olympics, they just "showed up." They were not aware of all the sophisticated protocols involved in participating. But they weren't sent home with tails between their legs. A good gesture on the part of the Olympic Committee running this event.

5. Since this show was broadcast live, they periodically cut to commercials in certain places. (The network needs to make money to staff all this coverage, right?) I noticed that they did not cut to a commercial during the entrances of either the U.S. or Canadian teams.

6. The tribute to Canada's indigenous peoples was a nice touch.

Let the Games begin!